Historic Preservation Links

Highland Park

The boundaries of this area of Highland Park are formed by
Highway 10 to the north, Highland Boulevard to the south, and
New Braunfels Avenue on the east and Clark Avenue on the west
edges. The elevation is relatively high affording cooling
breezes and pleasant views which were considered in the initial
purchase and development of this suburban area.

Historical Context

Prior to Highland Park’s development as a residential area,
the 780 acres were owned by Albert Steves Jr. who made the land
available to local dairy farmers as pasture land. The
land, referred to at this time as "the old Steve pasture," was
purchased in 1909 by L.P. Peck, Benno Kayton, W.C. Rigsby, Ben
Hammond, Charles Peterson, and A.M Avant. They formed the
Highland Park Improvement Company with an original plan for each
investor to build a large house on a street named for himself.
Charles Peterson elected to forgo a street in his name, which
resulted in Highland Park Boulevard and the main thoroughfare
through this suburban area.

Highland
Park was a planned community with utilities placed in the alleys
and upper-middle class homeowners in mind. Deed
restrictions were set very high to protect land and property
values. Key to the development of what was then the
largest suburb in San Antonio was the new trolley line to
facilitate commuting to downtown. The No. 10 Line passed through
Highland Park via Rigsby Avenue ending at Adele Street until
1933 when the trolley was replaced by bus service. Better
educational facilities were also advertised as one of the
advantages of this area. Records show Highland Park plats
for the years 1909, 1913, 1917, and 1921. The current
population density of this neighborhood was reached between WW I
and WW II.

The character of the community began a decline in the mid 1970s
when two-story homes were converted to apartments and an
increasing number of properties fell into disrepair. The
establishment of an active neighborhood association was key to a
renaissance period beginning in the 1980s and continuing today.
A San Antonio Express News article in February 2007 describes
the neighborhood as it appears today, "Like a neighborhood
suffering an identity crisis, Highland Park streets are lined
with evidence of both deterioration and pride."

Architectural Context

Architectural styles in Highland Park include
bungalows, Spanish Revival and English Tudor Revival
styles, numerous "eclectic" Craftsman houses, and later
minimal traditional homes. The Craftsman style was
very popular in the period 1905 through the 1920s.
Many of the houses in this development were constructed
in part by use of "pattern books" by builders, which
resulted in many houses with similar features such as
hip gabled roofs with exposed rafters, triangular knee
braces below the roof, and a variety of porch columns.
Two structures of special note are the E.O. Goldbeck
home and studio built in 1929-1930 located at 723 E.
Drexel and the Asian influenced bungalow built in 1912
located at 843 Rigsby.

Goldbeck was a world-renowned panoramic
photographer. In the 1930s he operated his National Photo
Service company from his home and studio. The Asian-influenced
bungalow on Rigsby is an outstanding example of
Japanese-influenced architectural detailing applied to a
traditional bungalow form, and one of only a small number
existing within the city. Both Goldbeck’s home and the
Asian bungalow-influenced have seen better days bur are still
impressive structures. The Goldbeck studio, located behind the
Goldbeck home, is in serious disrepair.